Tube bombs not linked: report

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The suicide cell that killed 52 people on July 7 is not linked
to those alleged to have been behind the attempted London attacks
on July 21, according to a British newspaper.

The Independent reported unnamed sources saying that the
initial findings of an investigation into both attacks had found no
evidence of any al-Qaeda "mastermind" or senior organiser.

The investigation, which the newspaper said involved MI5, MI6, the
listening centre at GCHQ and the police, reportedly found that the
July 7 team worked in isolation and was radicalised by Mohammad
Sidique Khan, the oldest of the four bombers.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman today said that police would not
comment on the report or any other speculation about the attacks on
July 7 and 21.

The newspaper said police and MI5 feared the findings suggested
more "self-sufficient" units similar to the July 7 cell were hiding
in Britain.

The investigation reportedly concluded that the alleged plotters
behind the July 21 incidents were probably "copycats", targeting
Tube trains and a bus.

A counter-terrorist source told the newspaper: "The key point is
the events are not connected. It appears they were self-contained,
rather than being organised by some kind of mastermind.

"It is concerning that none were on the intelligence radar. There
are quite probably others we do not know about out there. Over the
past 10 years, we have been successfully disrupting a number of
groups of people who could have carried out bombing attacks similar
to those we have seen in the past few weeks.

"We can't disrupt them all. They only have to be lucky once - and
they have been. At some point there will be another suicide or
bombing group."

The newspaper said intelligence agencies and police had trawled
through telephone and computer records, emails, forensic evidence,
and investigated friends and associates to build up a picture of
the suicide bombers.